Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Three Americans Confirmed Dead In Nice Terror Attack; Three Officers Killed, Three Injured In Baton Rouge Attack; Turkish President Arrests Over 6,000 In Wake Of Failed Coup. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 18, 2016 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: She'll be one of the key speakers at the convention tonight. We'll get a preview from her. And NEW DAY will be live starting at 5:00 a.m. Eastern all week here in Cleveland for the Republican National Convention.

All right, meanwhile, there are new arrests in connection with the terror attack in the south of France as we learn about a third American who was killed in this attack. So we'll have a live report from Nice next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: You are watching NEW DAY. We are in Baton Rouge, where officers were just killed. However, we do not forget what else is going on around the world, specifically what happened in Nice.

We want to go to senior foreign correspondent, Nima Elbagir. She's in Nice. They just had a moment of silence. There's also new information about the investigation. Nima, what do you know?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the third time, Chris, the nation has come to a standstill to commemorate the victims of terror. This is even as families are still searching for their loved ones.

We have the name of a third American victim, Nicolas Leslie (ph), a 20-year-old student from UC Berkeley here on holiday. He joins the father and son who were killed here ahead of their birthday celebrations here in the south of France.

The grief though is turning to anger and a search for questions. The French authorities under unbelievable pressure given that this is a nation reeling from terror attacks over the last year and a half.

They say they have six people now in custody, three of whom have been sent to the anti-terror offices in Paris to investigate further any potential links to a broader terror network.

The worry is that even though all initial indications were that this was a madman who latched on to a twisted ideology, that there could be others out there.

[06:35:05]And that's what they're trying to ascertain with their investigations in Paris -- Chris.

CUOMO: Nima, we will stay with you as you get any updates for us. Thank you very much. We go from Nice back here to Baton Rouge. A moment of silence in Nice. Stunned silence from the community here in Baton Rouge after the murder of three police officers, six shot by a murderer here who seemed to court disaster, drawing in the police.

I want to the show you their faces once again. Those who lost their lives in the line of duty. You see them there on your screen, Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald, Brad Garafola. They are gone. Their families will have to deal with that situation as their country is shocked by what happened here.

When we come back on NEW DAY, you're going to hear from the governor of the state, and you're going to hear from the superintendent of state police about this situation and the investigation as well as the way forward. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: We have some news headlines for you right now. A Milwaukee police officer is recovering after being shot in his squad car. Police say Officer Brandon Beranowski (ph) was attacked while other officers investigated a domestic disturbance call.

The assistant police chief said the officer was hit several times, but he was saved by his bullet proof vest. Investigators found the suspected shooter dead in a nearby yard.

And a five-hour hostage standoff between a rape suspect and police at a Baltimore Burger King is over. The suspect surrendering peacefully. His four hostages including a 7-year-old girl all safe at this hour.

The incident started as a police chase. The suspect then ran into the restaurant after crashing into a police car. Police say it was the gunman's loved ones and relatives of the hostages who helped them end the standoff.

Well, a small plane carrying Britain's new foreign secretary forced to make an emergency landing. Authorities say Boris Johnson's aircraft had some sort of technical issue.

[06:40:03]This happened as he was headed from London to Brussels for our meeting with the E.U. foreign policy chief. We are told Johnson did make his way to Brussels, by quote, "alternative means."

All right, back to the latest in the Baton Rouge police ambush. Three officers were killed, three others were wounded, one of them in critical condition this morning. Louisiana's governor will join us live with the very latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: We are in Baton Rouge covering the murder of three officers, three others wounded. One in critical condition still. Another with nonlife threatening injuries. Another still in serious but fair condition.

I want to show you the officers who lost their lives, Montrell Jackson, 32, just had a son himself not long ago. Matthew Gerald, 41, long-time veteran of the force here, Brad garafola, 45, new to the Baton Rouge police less than a year.

They were taken out by a murderer who had a plan to do exactly that. All this started with a 911 call of a man dressed in all black with a mask and a long rifle who was bent on death. He, too, is dead now.

What does this mean for this community? How do they deal with this situation and moving forward? To discuss that, two big leaders in this community. We have the governor, John Bel Edwards, with us, and we have the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, Colonel Michael Edmonson.

Governor, thank you for joining us this early in the morning. Colonel, thank you, sir. Governor, I'm sorry it's under these circumstances. But leaders deal with what's in front of them. What is your message to the community here in Baton Rouge and around the state?

GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS (D), LOUISIANA: Well, first of all, the message is we're not going to be defined by this horrible tragedy. We are better than this, obviously, and I want people to understand that we're going resume our lives as normal here, but we obviously have a lot of work to do in terms of making sure that we protect the public.

[06:45:05]We have great law enforcement here in Louisiana at the state and local level. We also have great partners in the federal agencies that are helping us here as well.

I know that were going get through this. I know it's hard to see it now, but I genuinely believe we're going to come through this, we're going to be stronger and better than ever, but it's extremely painful.

The emotions are raw here in Baton Rouge. There's a lot of hurting people. We spent a lot of time at the hospital yesterday with families of the deceased officers and those who were injured. It's a very, very tough day.

CUOMO: I was just in communication before you came on with a federal agent who volunteered to stay overnight to try to find connections between the murderer here and any other groups or people involved. Colonel, what can you tell us about the investigation? You know who did this. The question becomes a more developed sense of why.

COL. MICHAEL EDMONSON, SUPERINTENDENT, LOUISIANA STATE POLICE: We were able to forensically identify him. Three officers died yesterday. One is fighting for his life. It's important, it's vital, it's critical we get it right.

So just because information comes forward, we're going to make sure that we understand. My investigators last night just after 1:00 a.m. this morning, they were actually interviewing individuals that he was speaking to, he was visiting with while he was here in the Baton Rouge area.

We want to know what brought him here, we want to know what kept him here, and we want to know why he killed those police officers. It was kind of chaotic yesterday because there was so much going on. There was an active shooter scenario in place. That wasn't the case.

Mr. Long that was killed by Baton Rouge police yesterday, he indeed was the individual that killed those police officers. So that much of it we do know. We're going to continue our investigation.

A lot of moving points that take us in different areas. Our federal partners are working with us closely on this. It's just critically important to get it right, and we're going to.

CUOMO: Does it bother you that this guy was able to go from Kansas City to Dallas and then here and was talking in a very incendiary way? Do you think that's something law enforcement should be able to pick up, or there's just too many voices out there?

EDMONSON: There's a lot of voices out there, but it's important because he killed an individual. He ambushed these police officers. They didn't know what was coming up ahead of them. Gunshots were fired. He was targeting --

CUOMO: You're comfortable with that. You think he drew them to the scene.

EDMONSON: There's no doubt in my mind. He brought them to the scene or he was canvassing the scene around Baton Rouge looking specifically for police officers. We know that from the videos and tapes we saw, that his prey was those police officers or any police officers in the area.

CUOMO: Difficult questions for the colonel. Arguably even more difficult for you. We even heard from Alton Sterling's mother yesterday saying it has to stop. The killing has to stop. President Obama went to great lengths to say when you kill police officers, full stop, wrong.

It should not be done. Use of force cases by the police, if they're excessive or not, have to be investigated. This is not something we have to figure out if it was justifiable or not. It's wrong.

But the statement is so simple. It has to stop. But how? How do you think a community moves forward and deals with the issues that are in the air, if not related to what happened to the officers here?

EDWARDS: Obviously it's very difficult. You have to be able to have a constructive conversation. People have to be allowed to talk without alienating one another at the outset. I will tell you, Sandra Sterling's voice has been consistent. All along she's called for nonviolence for any protests to be

peaceful and that sort of thing. I will tell you, Chris, it has to stop. We have to do better on every front.

Colonel Edmonson and I spent four hours last week with the president and a group of people talking about all of this. We have to get better on every front. We've got to make sure that we're doing better from a law enforcement perspective.

We have to figure out strategies to we can keep a better check on these individuals as they become known to us with their -- perhaps with what they say on social media and as they travel around the country.

But we have to make sure that we don't move to a police state as well because I know that there's a balance that we have to strike.

CUOMO: Well, it's tricky because right now you're investigating a use of force case that resonated around the country. But now you have police officers who are going to be on edge, Colonel.

Even when we came in here this morning, the sheriffs' deputies had covers on, vests, and long guns themselves. What do you tell your men and women about how to do their job and not feel as though every situation they enter, they could be the target?

EDMONSON: Well, I try to make it as simple as possible. I just tell them I support them. They are safe with me. While they're doing their job out there, which we train them to do, which we go to great lengths throughout their career, throughout a year where we do retraining.

We talk about scenarios that happen around the country and put our people inside of it and say what would you do in that situation. Support them. They have to know that you have their best interests. They'll trust you.

[06:50:04]If they can believe in you and see you're doing the right thing, they'll trust you. My men trust me. They know I'll support them. I ask them to be safe, remember their training, and be aware of their surroundings.

CUOMO: Trust. Trust is a big issue here. I know you met with President Obama. Have you asked him to come here?

EDWARDS: No, I did not ask him. We did speak yesterday. I did not ask him to come here. I want to know what the arrangement are going to be in terms of individual services and that sort of things before we have that conversation.

CUOMO: One of the big issues of trust that comes up surrounding policing makes a lot of politicians, leaders, and police leaders uncomfortable, which is independent review of the use of force. Sometimes if that's come, they have a very limited scope of what they can charge independently. Their oversight can be there, but it's not adjudicating the

actual case. What do you think of the idea of when you have a questionable use of force by a police officer, it's independent. It's not done by the police agency there. It's not even done by the prosecutorial agency there. It's done by either the AG or somebody else.

EDWARDS: Well, we're going to give serious consideration to that, I met with a group of legislators from Louisiana yesterday and broached that topic. I know other states have done that over the last couple years.

I met with a few governors, and they told me it's been largely successful. I will tell you the Baton Rouge Police Department is not investigating the death of Alton Sterling.

We do have the federal government, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division did agree to come in very early on to do an investigation.

Because I think it's important that the agency that employs the officer that applies the lethal force not be the agency that investigates the officer when it's under circumstances like this that have aroused so much tension and anxiety in the community. So we are going to look at some legislative (inaudible) as we move forward.

CUOMO: And Colonel, I know this is a point you've made as well. Anywhere you go in the country, people who speak out about excessive use of force are often the police officers from that force. It doesn't help them to have any bad acts in their midst as well and that's something should understand.

Governor, I know this is a difficult time, Colonel, for you as well. We are sorry for your losses. Thank you for being with us.

The situation here in Baton Rouge reverberating not around Louisiana, but the country and certainly will be felt in the message at the conventions. That's where Alisyn is. Alisyn's in Cleveland -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Chris, obviously the turmoil there where you are is reverberating here, and it feels like it's just sort of gripping the country.

Then you add that to the turmoil internationally and everything that we've seen in Nice, France as well as Turkey. Coming up, we're going to have Admiral (inaudible) here to talk about why we need to focus on what's happening in Turkey. What is happening there, it's confusing, he's going to explain it to us and why we need to care about this. NEW DAY will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:38]

CAMEROTA: The country is on edge following two shootings of police officers in just the past ten days. Plus, all the turmoil around the world, including the terror attack in France and that failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Here to help us make sense of all of it is Admiral James Stavridis. He is the author of "The Accidental Admiral." He is a former supreme allied commander of NATO and is currently the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Admiral, thanks so much for being here with us.

ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS, DEAN, THE FLETCHER SCHOOL IN TUFTS UNIVERSITY: Great to see you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: So Admiral, you know, we're so consumed with all of this terrible news that's coming out of Baton Rouge and Dallas where these police officers were killed, but explain to us why Americans do need to focus on what's going on in Turkey and what this situation is there this morning.

STAVRIDIS: Turkey is an enormous ally of the United States, a huge part of NATO. When I was the supreme allied commander at NATO, Alisyn, Turkey was involved in every operation, Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, Syria, piracy.

So to see a nation that big, that important embedded in a critical region go through a major coup is a shocking, shocking development. We ought to be concerned back here because if turkey slips into a position of real instability, Alisyn, it's going to be bar the door on thousands of refugees.

We're not at that point. I don't predict that. The authorities seemed to be in control, but there are knock-on impacts that are significant here.

CAMEROTA: But Admiral, authorities do seemed to be back in control, but they're arresting scores and scores of people. What's happening there this morning?

STAVRIDIS: Alisyn, they're not arresting scores of people. They're arresting thousands of people. I think the current number is 6,000 trending up, 3,000 jurists, judges, and about 3,000 military.

Put that on a population-adjusted basis, that's a day in the United States where 25,000 people have been rounded up. We ought to be very concerned about that from human rights perspective because there are concerns that the Erdogan administration will use this coup as an opportunity to cleanse the virus of frankly opposition to the Erdogan administration.

We need to encourage Turkey to be rational, judicial, and judicious in how they approach this crisis.

CAMEROTA: And admiral, what does this mean for the fight against ISIS? Because the U.S. had been relying on Turkey. So now what?

STAVRIDIS: This is a very bad moment in the fight against ISIS, unfortunately. Why? Because a great deal of the military effort is moving out of bases in Southern Turkey. We do have other alternatives to continue the fight.

But the freezing of cooperation along that border, I think, is a real possibility as our Turkish colleagues sort through the challenges.

Secondly, Alisyn, the Turkish military itself will be consumed with investigations, retribution, arrests. They will lose their effectiveness as a fighting force in this. So one of the real winners here, if there's any winner in a coup, is going to be the so-called Islamic State.

CAMEROTA: So Admiral, you know, Donald Trump and Mike Pence have said that what's happened in Turkey is a result, basically, of failed U.S. leadership. That the U.S. is not a super power that it once was and it's causing instability around the world. What do you think the U.S. could have done differently?

STAVRIDIS: I think the United States has been quite effective in its relationship with Turkey. I think it's absurd to say that somehow a failed U.S. leadership has led to a coup in turkey. That's simply not the case.

The coup is the result of long-simmering tensions between civil and military authorities in Turkey, which has been really nonexistent for a century. The U.S. has been a very stabilizing part of the relationship between civil and military in Turkey.

I think this attempt to portray everything that goes wrong around the world as somehow the fault of the United States makes no sense whatsoever.

CAMEROTA: Admiral, we hear that you are being vetted as a possible running mate for Hillary Clinton.